Battlestar Galactica: The Plan [Blu-ray]

The Cylons began as humanity's robot servants. They rebelled and evolved and now they look like us. Their plan is simple: destroy the race that enslaved them. But when their devastating attack leaves human survivors, the Cylons have to improvise. Battlestar Galactica: The Plan tells the story of two powerful Cylon leaders, working separately, and their determination to finish the task.

Debuting in late 2009 after the TV series ended, Battlestar Galactica: The Plan is a two-hour movie that at first glance appears to be a prequel but actually runs concurrently to the series. It takes its title from the famous opening credits (which end with "There are many copies. And they have a plan."), the plan being the Cylons' extermination of the human race in the bombing of Caprica and other cities in the original miniseries. However, the survival of a hardy band of humans means the Cylons need to finish the job in a much more intimate fashion, and no. 1 (Brother Cavil, played by Dean Stockwell) gathers a meeting of "skin jobs" (not including those who hadn't at that time learned their real identities) to figure out how to accomplish it. "Let's get this genocide started," he tells them, and the plan begins.

While much of the action is revisited from key moments (and reused footage) from the series, such as number 8's (Grace Park) attempted assassination on Adama (Edward James Olmos, who also directed), and no. 1's coordinating and reacting to those events, there are some new angles. Anders (Michael Trucco) escapes the initial nuclear attack and participates in a resistance movement against the Cylons, and no. 4, Simon (Rick Worthy), is conflicted by his mission because he's married to a human (Lymari Nadal, Olmos' wife). It's interesting to see events from a different point of view and to get some more depth of thought on them, but overall it's a bit of a disappointment for those expecting a completely new, stand-alone story along the lines of Razor. Note that the movie has spoilers for those who haven't watched the TV series to its end, and it would probably be rated R for female and male nudity that, while not jarring in the context of Galactica's mature tone and themes, seems gratuitous. The DVD includes 14 minutes of deleted scenes, including a longer conversation between Ellen Tigh and Cavil, four featurettes, and a commentary track by Olmos and executive producer-writer Jane Espenson. --David Horiuchi